Percussion-fuse.



PATENTED NOV. 2l, 1905.

L. L. DRIGGS. PERCUSSION FUSE.'

APPLICATION FILED JULY26,1905.

A. Si Mii L iiilin' L'OUS L. DRIGG,

T0 TUE DRJGGS l. EilNSYLi/YANA, A

@il VVASHNGTON, DSTRICT Ol" SEBURY ORDNANUE COR?ORATIUN, OF SHARON,

URPORATION 0F PENNSYLVANIA. i

COLUM BIA, ASSIGNOR PEFRCUSSQNnFUSE.

no. eoeer..

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. Nov. 21, li905.

Application led Jul" 26, 1905. Serial. No. 271,357.

all whom, it Wawy con/cern:

.Be it known that L Louis L. Deines, a. citiof the United States, residing at fashington, in the listriet of Columbia, have in- 5 vented certain new and 'use` ul Improvements Percussion-Fuses; and l do hereb;J declare the following' to be o full, clear, end exact description oi the invention, such as will ennble others skilled in the nrt to which it zipperteins lo to Ineke end use the My invention relates to improvements in shell-fuses and in means for attaching the fuse io the shell.; and it consists in certain improved ineens wherebyr the fuse may be readily nt- 15 tached to and removed from the shell when the latter is loaded without danger of accidentel ignition of the bursting charge of the shell.

From time to time ece-iden have happened in removing; the bursting' charges from the shell, and in most of such instances the ntendents, who alone might be able to coinely explain the cause the explosioinhevc seqnently the causes Cb .ieen blown to pieces. Con

such explosions are mainly deducible by y is generally supposed, howthat these explosions are cai-.used b iethe ting; of line oowd" grains inte the screw unseren7 the line xii the frise s powder-gri. xnitted to t My present vide ineens where avoided.

equisite to etion on applied the invention o); such incidents ine); be

vention. sectieno ine Fie VCS in() a i. ai" Uni l a y a l g f* end looking to me righi,

nds between the inse and its bonching' "hen the force r lows the fuse menant stoel: end be the end of the fuse-stoel; being shown in ele-- vet-ion.

Referring lirst to Figs. l and 2, A represente the shell. i represents the bouching` screwed into the base of the shell and projecting slightly beyond -the rear edge thereof. D represents the fuse, which is flanged, es et d, and the said ange lits in e recess Z) in the bonching. rlhe bcnching may be cut out in weke of the lienge CZ, as indicated in dotted lines at in Fig. 2, so as te gerrnit the iiuse to be caught hold of by suitable nippers. E represents e `spline-pin which projects into the bouchingl and into the fuse-stoel: and holds the fuse against turning in the seid bonching. F represents zi, cap which is screwed on over the bonching` and holds the spline-pin E in place and also prevents the Juse from dropping out of the bon'ching. lt Wiil be seen thetby unscrewing tl e een F and withdrawing the fuse from the bonching the powderchnrge in the shell may be removed and. the shell may be unloaded :ind loaded again without the necessity of nnscrewing the bouching, end thus exerting materiel pressure on fine powder-dust then may settle in the screw threads. it will be evident that the inse may be withdrawn with much less effort than would be required to turn n.. screw, and there fore the danger from ignition due to the eccuinnlnticn of powder-dust around the i'nseen it and the bonehing nia-y ieininhiized. ,Furth .niore,zilentheru'nsher .l may be placed bcncnti the lienge d of theiuscstocl for the curiose of keeping' oui; pon/den het.

in the torni of desfice'shown in Fig. 3 the tube K. is screwed into the shell anni in this tube is held the bottom plug L, which rests over the shoulders ,1J nl; the bottoni ol" the tube K. This plug' in perforated to permit the passage oi' the EL@ is preferably covered ivi' h thin oep of peper or the like (not shownl to prevent the entrance of line powder into the opening; but this een may; be omitted, if desired. Above this plug and screwed or oth-` erwise heid against turning in the tnbe is the anvil so which are rigidly attached `the spring-arms hl., having clips n., which engage the neck 22 of the plunger i, which plunger is provided with e. uring-pin p, which iiringein expiooes the fnlminate-cnp m, when the VIO , urinate-cap.

heavy shell.

shell is arrested in its iight. spins the clips a are thrown outward by cen-4 January 7, 1890, thus allowing the collar@2 to pass between these clips fn and permitting the plunger to liy forward and strike the ful- Gver thebase ofthe fuse-stock 1 screw the cap Q. ln order to unload the shell,.it will only be necessary to remove the screw-cap, to unscrew the anvil M and the parts carried thereby, take out the plug L, and a passage-way to the interior of the shell is provided.

in the form of device shown in Fig. 4 the tu se D slips into the bouching B', screwed into the base et' the shell, over which bouching is screwed the cap Q', whose rear surface is flush with the surface of the shell. This modification is more especially adapted for use with A spline-pin E, similar to that shown in Fig, is provided. A leather washer i, beneath the iange d of the fuse-stock, also serves to keep, powder-dust from the screwthreads ot the cap and bouching.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 0, the nose ot' the shell A is shouldered, as at a, and screvthreaded, as at a. and is also internally shouldered, at a. The screw-cap R is preferably in the ogival forni, to conform to the normal contour of the shell, with screw-threads -r to engage the screwthreads e. and when screwed home the shoulder fr abats against theshoulder (t. .Around he fuse D, beneath its iiange'd, is placed a washer of leather or like material i, which is compressed between the shoulders a and the Harige (Z when the screw-cap is home, and thus prevents the sifting of any tine powder past the head of the fuse-stock. The 'fuse-stoel; is heid against turning in the shell by means of the spline-pin E, which locks it to the shell, as indicated in- Fig. 6. The groove in the fuse-stock-for this spline-pin is short, so that the .spline-pin cannot drop out into the interior of the shell.l and it is held `against dropping out the other way by the screw-cap 1t.

Slots a2 may be provided to insert nippers for withdrawing the fuse.

It will be seen that in the device shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5 the fuse may be withdrawn longitudinally after the screw-cap has been moved and that the' threads ot' the screw-cap are protected against the sifting in powder, and the shell may be loaded or unloaded through the opening left by the fuse.

1n the form of device shown in `Fig. '3 the essentials of the fuse-.to Iwit, the plunger and the anvil and the spring for holding i.hem together--can be removed by unserewing and then drawn longitudinally out of the gun, and

and is provided l orl any tine As the shell/.l the screw-threads of the anvil are protected by the plug L and its cap.

It will be obvious that various modifications might be made to accomplish the same result as the herein-described apparatus which could be used without departing from the spirit ot' my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent or' the United States, is-

1. lln'an explosive shell, the combination with the shell-body, of a screw-cap held thereon, and a fuse mounted in said shell-body beneath said screw-cap,and removable longitudinally therefrom, with a spline-pin locking said fuse againstv turning in said shell-body and held in place by said screw-cap, substantially as described.

2. In an explosive shell, the combination with the shell-body, oi' a screw-cap held thereon, a fuse provided with afianged head mounted in said shell-'body beneath said screw-trap, and removable longitudinally therefrom, and a washer oi leather or similar material held .firmly beneath said iange and preventing the sifting of iine powder past said llange, substantially as described.

In an explosive shell, the combination with the shell-body, of a screw-cap held thereon, a fuse provided with a hanged head mounted in said shelhbody beneath said screw-cap, and removable longitudinally therefrom, with means for holding said fuse against turning in said shell-body, and a washer ot' leather or similar material held irmly beneath said.

iange and preventing' the siftingof line powder past said flange, substantially as described,A

4.. In an explosive shell, the eombination with the shell-body, of ascrew-cap hel -thereon, ar'use provided with ailanged head, mounted in said sheli-body beneath said screw-cap, and removable longitudinally therefrom, with a spline-pin locking said fuse against turning in said shell-body and hel'd in place by said screwgeap, and a washerl of leather or similar material held firmly vbeneath said Flange and preventing the sifting of line powder past said flange substantially as described.

5. .ln an explosive shell, Athe combination with the shell-body. of a screw-cap held thereon, and a 'fuse mounted to slide aially in said sheLl-bcdy and normally held beneath said screw-cap, with means 'for holding said fuse against turning in said `shell-body, substan- IOO 

